Pouring
by BananaBabe903
Summary: Shikamaru loves Ino. Ino loves Shikamaru. But Shikamaru loves Ino too much. He's predicted all the possible outcomes if he confesses. And even if she does accept him, what'll happen when she leaves him? He's afraid of breaking their perfect friendship-he just wants to love her, even quietly. He's noted consequences of his confession. And chances of success are slim. ShikaIno


__Hi guys! So, this is like the longest one-shot I have _ever _written hehe:) It's a song-fic based off Bruno Mars' "It Will Rain". This song really reminded me of Shikamaru, because of the line "with that troublesome guy." Hehe that reminded me so much of him!

Here's the song: watch?v=Xp7_eM2GuQI

Song: It Will Rain by Bruno Mars

* * *

_If you ever leave me baby,_

_Leave some morphine at my door_

'_Cause it would take a whole lot of medication_

_To realize what we used to have,_

_We don't have it anymore._

There were several times Shikamaru almost confessed to Ino Yamanaka. Almost.

"Shikamaru!" Ino bopped him on the top of his head, tugging at his spiky ponytail. He gingerly peeled one eye open to see Ino's face only inches from his.

"Hnn," he groaned, trying to act like usual. "What is it, Ino?" Her bright blue eyes sparkled in slight annoyance at him.

She tucked her bangs behind her ear and positioned herself next to him. He had been lying on his usual spot, on the grassy green hill that overlooked Konoha and the beautiful sky. The clouds drifted by as usual, and Shikamaru dreamed.

Of one girl in particular.

Ino sighed and tucked her arms behind her head, humming softly to herself. Shikamaru felt the heat of her body radiating next to his, and he fought the urge to embrace her, to sink into her scent of flowers and cotton shampoo.

"Shikamaru?"

"Hmm?"

"What would you do if I told you I love you?"

Shikamaru fought back the urge to spring up in surprise. The only indication he was taken back was by his slightly raised brows, which he hoped Ino didn't notice. But she did.

She chuckled.

He didn't look over at her, knowing that she was only teasing him. It was something she did—she flitted from here to there, from boy to boy, nothing restricting her—armed with a slender body, beautiful blonde locks, and enough confidence for all of Konoha.

"Troublesome woman," he murmured, not taking his eyes off the sky. It was the color of Ino's eyes, and for several more minutes, he found himself swimming in them.

Ino let out a light tinkly laugh, sitting up. "I'm going to go see Chouji," she grinned. She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the forehead. "See ya, Nara."

"Hmm."

He could feel her roll her eyes and calmly walk off, her long hair swishing against her perfect hips.

"I love you," he whispered, once he knew she was completely out of sight. "Ino Yamanaka."

But he would never say. It was too troublesome after all, love that is.

_There's no religion that could save me  
No matter how long my knees are on the floor  
So keep in mind all the sacrifices I'm makin'  
Will keep you by my side  
Will keep you from walkin' out the door._

The second time Shikamaru almost confessed to Ino was when they sat in the Nara courtyard, sitting in front of a game of shogi. At first, Shikamaru had gone easy on her, but Ino detected it and scolded him.

"Don't go easy on me, Shikamaru!" she clucked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Even if I _am _going against 'Konoha's Genuis'." She raised an eyebrow, expectantly.

He sighed. "Please don't use that, Ino," he said, moving a piece.

"Why not?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You know how much I hate that name, _Pig_," he teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Besides," Shikamaru continued. "That's my father's title, not mine."

A frown crept onto Ino's face. Shikamaru suspected it wasn't just because of the game. "Shikamaru, when are you ever going to grow up?"

He looked up at her, eyebrows half-raised. "Eh?"

"_I said_-," she repeated, a bit louder. "When are you going to grow up, Shikamaru?"

He scowled at her. "Troublesome woman," he muttered.

Ino stood up, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. "'Troublesome this',

'troublesome that'!" she imitated in a tone that was supposed to be Shikamaru. "That's all you ever say!"

She pointed at him, continuing, "When are you gonna grow up, huh Nara? I thought you had, at least for a little while. After—after Asuma-_sensei _died, and when you promised to take care of Kurenai's child!"

She was steaming now, and Shikamaru had no idea where any of this was coming from. Ino yelled at him all the time, but it had never been this unexpected. Usually he could see her scolds coming, but this one erupted out of nowhere.

"Even Chouji can be more mature than you sometimes!"

_Ouch_. Ino never compared Shikamaru and Chouji, knowing how different the two were. Shikamaru knew something was up, she wasn't being herself.

"Ino," he said. "What's wrong?"

Her blue eyes softened, and she turned away from him, clenching her fists, he noticed.

"I… my parents… now that we're older, they don't approve of us hanging outside of missions, and without Chouji anymore."

Shikamaru was going to stand up and confront her, but it took too much effort. Huh. Maybe Ino had a point earlier.

"What?"

Ino's fists stopped shaking, and she turned around slowly to face him. "My parents," she began slowly. "Are afraid that if we continue hanging out like this, one-on-one, I mean, without Chouji or any of the others, like Naruto and Sakura… that we'll fall for each other."

"But I-," _have fallen for you, Ino_, he wanted to say. But Ino interrupted him.

"And… they don't want me being with you, like that, Shikamaru."

"Trouble-," he stopped himself. He bit his tongue.

Ino crossed her arms over chest, and sat back down. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru!" she apologized after several moments; offering up a smile that resembled one of Sai's fake ones. She moved a piece on the shogi board.

"Hmm."

_If I tell you I love you_, Shikamaru thought. _Eventually, you'll leave me. And Ino, what would I do then? What would I do without you?_

_Cause there'll be no sunlight  
If I lose you, baby  
There'll be no clear skies  
If I lose you, baby  
Just like the clouds  
My eyes will do the same, if you walk away  
Everyday it will rain, rain, rain..._

"Ahh, Neji-_kun_! Kiba-_kun_!" Ino abandoned her teammates and ran over to the two shinobi who were walking through the town, having returned from practice together. Since Hinata was on a mission, Kiba had been using Neji had a substitute for his Byakugan.

"There she goes," Chouji muttered under his breath.

Shikamaru balled his fists in his pockets as Ino leapt forward and embraced the dog-boy and the Hyuuga, wrapping her arms around their necks.

He watched as Kiba blushed and let out a wild howl, and Neji shifted slightly, but didn't undo the blonde's embrace.

Chouji sensed his friend's discomfort, and placed his hand on the Nara's shoulder. "She's like that with everyone, Shikamaru," he tried to comfort. "Don't worry about it, it means nothing."

"Troublesome woman," he muttered anyway.

As they approached them, Shikamaru heard Ino coo, "So, Neji-_kun_, did you miss me?"

Neji looked away slightly, and Shikamaru swore he saw the tiniest trace of a smile. "Maybe next time we practice, Ino, you should accompany Kiba and I."

"Yeah!" Kiba shoved his hands in his pockets, grinning foolishly. "A threesome!" He cackled.

_Punch. _

Before he knew what happened, Shikamaru had leapt at the Inuzuka, punching him square-in the face.

Kiba looked shocked, but pounced back on his feet, grabbing Shikamaru by the collar. "What the hell, Nara?" he barked in his face. "What the hell was that for, Pineapple-head?"

Shikamaru shrunk back slightly. He didn't know where that punch had come from. Blood had been flowing through him, and before he knew it he had attacked his friend, his comrade.

He felt Chouji pull him back. "Sorry Kiba!" he heard Chouji apologize. "Shikamaru, uhh, hasn't been himself lately. Lots of stress, at the office you know." Chouji turned his friend around, ushering him in the other direction. "C'mon, Shikamaru, let's go get some barbecue. We'll uhh, catch up with you guys later! Bye Ino."

Shikamaru followed Chouji's lead, but not before giving an apologetic look to Kiba, who was rubbing his cheek with his hand. Ino had leaned over towards the red-faced boy in concern, but not before glaring at Shikamaru, silently mouthing, "What is wrong with you?"

"Sorry, Kiba." Shikamaru raised one hand. Kiba scowled, but nodded, and Shikamaru knew he understood.

"Oi, Shikamaru!"

He and Chouji slowly spun around to Kiba's call.

Kiba nodded once. "Good luck, with that."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Troublesome," he muttered. He turned Chouji and himself back around and continued walking.

"If anyone can figure it out, Nara," he heard the Inuzuka boy call from behind. "It's you, Konoha Genuis!"

_I'll never be your mother's favorite  
Your daddy can't even look me in the eye  
Oooh if I was in their shoes, I'd be doing the same thing  
Sayin there goes my little girl  
Walkin' with that troublesome guy_

"Tadaima!" Ino called, throwing her back to the side as they entered the house. "We're home!" she slipped off her shoes, and Shikamaru did the same.

"Welcome!" Ino's mother appeared from the kitchen, smiling brightly at her daughter, glancing quickly at Shikamaru. "Where's Chouji?" she asked, eyeing the Nara.

Ino shrugged. "Chouji got the stomach flu. So he can't join us for dinner, hehe, ironic no?" She grabbed Shikamaru by the wrist. "C'mon, Shikamaru! Let's go upstairs."

Ino's mother stopped them. "No." She blushed, and looked off to the side, avoiding eye contact with her daughter, Shikamaru noticed.

Ino widened her eyes. "Why?" she retorted.

"Because," Inoichi entered from the kitchen as well, a stern look in his eyes as he stared down his daughter. "You and Shikamaru, like it or not, are both young adults now."

Ino let go of Shikamaru's wrist, a disgusted look on her face. "Ehh?" she cried. "Shikamaru and I would never do something like that! Do you not trust me?"

"I trust you," Inoichi said, slowly. He quickly glanced at Shikamaru, before looking back to his daughter. "I don't trust him."

"You guys can still be teammates," Mrs. Yamanaka interjected. "And hang out with Chouji, or any of your other friends, like that Haruno girl or Neji-,"

Shikamaru scowled at Neji's name, only to be stared down by Inoichi. He recoiled.

"—just not one-on-one."

"Why?" Ino said, volume escalating. "What's wrong with Shikamaru, ehh? Aren't the Nara and Yamanaka clans friends?"

"Well, yes," Mrs. Yamanaka stuttered. "It's just that-,"

"We're friends for a reason, Ino," Inoichi said. "We've kept peace, because we've never intermixed. We've stayed strictly Nara and Yamanaka and Akimchi. That way, things don't get complicated. Besides, you two are inheriting the clans. Things have to stay separate. How would the Akimchi clan feel if Nara and Yamanaka are bound and they're not? They might feel betrayed or-,"

"Chouji won't feel betrayed!" Ino interrupted. Shikamaru noticed tears of frustration forming in her eyes. "Besides, Shikamaru and I aren't even going to end up together! We're just friends, that's it, we're just frie-,"

"They're right, Ino."

All three members of the family looked over at Shikamaru in surprise, who was staring at his feet, hands shoved in pockets.

"S-Shikamaru?" Ino said, slowly.

He turned around, tears forming in his eyes. "Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Yamanaka," he parted, trying not to look at them in the eyes. "Thank you for having me over."

He opened the door and stepped out, wet tears now slipping down his cheeks.

"Wait, Shika-," he heard Ino call, but she stopped. He suspected Inoichi had held her back, as he heard her struggling against her father's grasp. "Shika—Shikamaru! Shikamaru, wait! Dad, stop! Shikamaru-,"

He closed the door behind him, and stood there, wiping the tears from his eyes. Shikamaru pulled a pack of cigarettes from a pocket in his vest he had received as a Chuunin. He remembered Ino cheering him on during the competition.

Of course, she had been more enthusiastic about Sasuke's battle. He gripped his lighter, his teacher's, in his shaking hand, and lit the stick, holding it to his lips.

"T-t-troublesome woman," he mumbled, stumbling over his words. He walked away slowly from the Yamanaka house, nursing his cigarette.

_Yeah for you I'll try I'll try I'll try I'll try  
I'll pick up these broken pieces 'til I'm bleeding  
If that'll make you mine_

"Shikamaru!" he heard footsteps after him, along with Ino's frantic voice. "Shika, Shikamaru!" The blonde eventually caught up to him.

"Shikamaru!" she repeated, heaving slightly. He didn't stop walking.

_Don't turn around, Nara_, he thought to himself. _If you stop now, you'll never be able to leave. Think of all the outcomes, the chances of her loving you the same way is impossible._

"Shikamaru, I don't care what my parents say. We can hang out, whenever, just the two of us. I don't care, I don't care. I trust you, I know you're not a bad guy. I know that you'll never fall in love with me. You're not easy like all the other guys, Shikamaru. You don't think of me in that way, but my parents don't know that."

_Your parents were right, Ino. I _did _fall in love with you. I _am _that bad guy. I want you so badly right now that it's taking all of my energy not to wrap my arms around you and call you mine. How do you not know_?

"Ino-," he began.

"No, I know what you're going to say Shikamaru," Ino interrupted him. "I know, what you're going to say. I might fall for you, and that'll destroy our whole relationship." She took a slow, deep breath. "But trust me, I won't. You're my friend, you're family. I would never damage our relationship with something that probably won't even work out."

Shikamaru stopped walking, hands gripping his pockets.

He looked up as the sky began to fill with gray.

Ino grabbed his hand. "C'mon, Nara," she said, smiling brightly. "Let's go look at clouds, eh?"

She began to tug him towards his favorite spot. _Their _spot, he liked to think.

_What are you doing, Shikamaru Nara_? _Why are you letting her do this to you? Toying with your emotions, your feelings… why? You're not stupid, you know this is all just another part of her stupid game. So why are you letting her play you?_

"Because I love her," he muttered.

"What was that?" Ino said, curiously.

Shikamaru waved it off. "Nothing." He pulled his arm away from his grasp.

She giggled, and reattached herself to his arm. "No need to be shy, Shika!" she teased. "After all, I _have _seen you naked."

He blushed deeply, looking away. "E-eh, that was when we were two! T-that didn't count," he stammered.

"Even Konoha's Genius can get embarrassed," she chuckled to herself.

_Don't just say, goodbye  
Don't just say, goodbye  
I'll pick up these broken pieces 'til I'm bleeding  
If that'll make it right_

The blue had completely disappeared from the sky, and as Shikamaru and Ino laid side by side, they could detect no white clouds.

Ino pouted. "They're all gone!" she sighed after a second. She sat up, unwinding her hair from her ponytail. Shikamaru tried not to gape at her breathtaking beauty. "The clouds, Shikamaru. All the clouds are gone, what are you looking at?"

"Hmm. They're not all gone. They're still there."

She rolled her eyes. "Not the _pretty _ones. All that's left are the stupid gray ones. The sad, rainy ones."

"Fits the mood, eh?"

"Mmm."

He could have her, right now if he wanted to. His lips against her porcelain skin, his hands running through her long golden hair.

But what would happen, if he confessed? If he said those simple words right now. She could accept him, but then what? He thought back to what her parents had said. The clans had a duty, they had a promise. They couldn't do anything that would damage those bonds.

_But wouldn't a marriage strengthen the relationship_?

_No_, he shook his head. Like Inoichi had said, Akimchi might feel like they were plotting against them, and the last thing they needed was another Uchiha situation.

He didn't want to lose her. Ino Yamanaka. The shining light of his life. If she ever left him, he couldn't handle that. He knew eventually he'd crack. Even if he had Chouji, and all the other wonderful people in his life. First Asuma, then Ino, he wouldn't be able to handle that.

So even if he confessed and if Ino by some crazy luck loved him too, he knew she would get bored of him. She'd leave. And what would he be then? Nothing. He'd have nothing. He wouldn't have her as a friend anymore, he knew that much. It would be too awkward. What would that do to their battle skills? Would they be able to trust each other anymore? If their foundation cracked, the entire formation would crumble.

"What would you do if I told you I love you?" it was not her who spoke these words, instead it was he who echoed.

Ino looked over at him, shocked, he knew. She looked away, quickly, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I'd say…" she tapped her chin thoughtfully, her voice light and playful. She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "I'd say I love you too!" she grinned flirtatiously at him.

He couldn't. It was too much.

He sprung up, and mashed his lips against hers.

"S-shikamaru-," he cut her off when she tried to speak, pressing into her more. Eventually, she relaxed, and melted into his embrace.

There were no regrets now, no turning back. Even if it were only for a few seconds, he would have her. She would be all his. Because after this, there would be no ShikamaruIno, but instead there would be Shikamaru and Ino.

Because he knew she couldn't be his, he would live his fantasy only for a few seconds, to at least relieve his heart a little, at least.

Even if it ended up killing him in the end.

Because no matter how this ended, Shikamaru knew, he wouldn't be happy. Rain poured around them, the clouds having given in. Before the rain fell, he felt his own eyes give into the weight of his tears, but if Ino ever asked him, which she wouldn't, it was the rain, not his tears.

And he would use that moment, their kiss, as a small reminder whenever he was feeling down or discouraged. Whenever he saw her from a distance, going up to hug the Hyuuga boy, he would remember that small moment they shared, even if she didn't.

Because he would forever live as her comrade, her confidant, her _friend_, as long as she never left his life.

Because without Ino Yamanka, in Shikamaru Nara's life, every day it would rain.

_Cause there'll be no sunlight  
If I lose you, baby  
There'll be no clear skies  
If I lose you, baby  
Just like the clouds  
My eyes will do the same if you walk away  
Everyday it will rain, rain, rain..._

* * *

Please review:) I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
